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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Did you ________________ the button?
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. press — newspapers
  2. cap — a lid
  3. press — to push
  4. pop — soda
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pop — music
  7. prune — to trim
  8. march — the month
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. rest — a break
  11. pop — to visit
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. march — the month
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. press — a publisher
  17. rest — what's left
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — of ice
  22. lash — an eyelash
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. march — music

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com